I am constantly
asked, “Chuck, why don’t pastors take a stand and speak out?” I’ve been
a pastor most of my adult life. I believe I am qualified to answer that
question. Here is the stark reality: the vast majority of pastors today
are “success” oriented. Beginning in Bible College or seminary, and
continuing throughout a pastor’s ministerial life, the emphasis is
success. And that means church growth, larger congregations, bigger
buildings, bigger offerings, burgeoning statistics, greater notoriety,
denominational praise, invitations to speak at conferences, applause
from fellow ministers, not to mention the financial perks and benefits
that come with pastoring a “successful” church.

And the way to
learn how to build a successful church is to learn from those who have
done it. Pastors regularly attend church growth conferences to learn
from the “big” church pastors on how it’s done. They purchase books,
magazines, newsletters, etc., that are all geared towards telling
pastors how to build a successful church. They are constantly being
schooled in the latest and greatest “how to” strategies of church growth
and success. This usually entails more and more sophisticated programs,
music, sound, lighting, atmosphere, classes, seminars, organization,
etc. Everything, and I mean everything, is geared toward success as
described in the aforementioned paragraph.

Most pastors
today are in reality not spiritual shepherds as much as they are
corporate CEOs. The same mentality, philosophy, and strategy that drive
corporate boardrooms also drive the boardrooms of modern churches--to a
tee. Pastors act like CEOs, dress like CEOs, talk like CEOs, manage like
CEOs, and think like CEOs.

Dare I say that
even the way pastors and churches cater, and “reach out,” and
“minister,” etc., has mostly to do with “good business.” Church members
are babied and pacified and stroked and petted and fawned-over because
it is “good business.” Today’s Christians are so spoiled and petted that
any dereliction or lack of attention by a pastor, church, or staff
usually results in them “moving their letter” down the street to a place
that will more readily cater to their temperamental demands.

Have you not
noticed how most pastors spiritualize away the great examples of Bible
heroism and defiance against tyranny and despotism? Ask them point blank
about Daniel and the lion’s den or the three Hebrew children in the
burning fiery furnace or Queen Esther or scores and scores of other acts
of defiance lauded in Holy Writ and they will say, “That was another
time.” Or, they might say, “This shows God’s great deliverance and
protection.” But the overriding principle that drove the great heroes of
the faith to challenge and defy evil government is never even
acknowledged, much less addressed.

The great lesson
of the above-mentioned heroes and heroines is not that God delivered
them, because many of them were NOT delivered. As Paul notes in Hebrews
11: “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance…And others had
trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and
imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,
were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and
goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented…they wandered in
deserts, and in mountains, and in caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:35-38
KJV). The great lesson of the above-mentioned heroes and heroines is
their willingness to defy evil authority--regardless of outcome. Listen
to the three Hebrew children:

“Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar,
we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God
whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and
he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known
unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the
golden calf which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18 KJV)

These men knew
that God COULD deliver them, but they did not know if He WOULD deliver
them. And to them, it didn’t matter: they were willing to defy the
tyranny of King Nebuchadnezzar regardless. They were not going to bow to
the unlawful, illegitimate authority of the state (in whatever form it
appeared). That is the glaring lesson of every single one of these great
stories of defiance.

Furthermore, most
pastors and teachers absolutely refuse to tell the truth of Hebrews
11:34: “[They] waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of
the aliens.” This Biblical passage lauds the courage of past believers
who took up the sword against tyrants and despots. In the same breath
that Paul extolled the sacrifice of believers who were willing to die
for their faith, he also extolled the bravery of believers who were
willing to fight for their faith. But you NEVER hear that from the vast
majority of pastors today.

If you hear any
mention of, say, America’s Founding Fathers from today’s pastors, it is
that the founders were wrong, that they violated Romans 13, that God did
not lead them to declare independence and revolt against the British
Crown. Such is the ignorance and cowardice of today’s ministers.

And while we are
on the subject, the misinterpretation of Romans 13 is one of the chief
reasons why most pastors and churches are so utterly indifferent or
nonplussed about resisting evil government. This is why my son and I
coauthored the book, “Romans 13: The True Meaning of Submission.” I
encourage readers to get this book and share it with as many of your
Christian friends as possible. In the book, Tim and prove from the
entire Bible--including Romans 13--that nowhere does God expect (much
less demand) believers to submit to evil, wicked authority.

Tim (a
constitutional attorney) and I coauthored a second book that is also
relevant to this discussion. It is called, “To Keep or Not To Keep: Why
Christians Should Not Give Up Their Guns.” This book searches the entire
Bible and conclusively proves that self-defense is not only a
God-ordained right; it is a God-ordained DUTY--and that Christians are
totally justified in NOT surrendering their means of self-defense to any
civil authority.

The fact is that
all of these great Bible stories of lawful, God-ordained defiance of
unjust authority are totally ignored by the vast majority of today’s
pastors and churches. None of these great Bible truths are made relevant
to attempted acts of tyranny in today’s America. None of them.

Again, it is all
about success. To the average pastor, nothing is as anathema as
controversy. And nothing is more controversial than politics. Therefore,
pastors are taught to avoid politics like the plague. Of course, they
won’t tell you that the controversial nature of politics is the reason
they avoid it; they will tell you that “God has not called me to get
involved in politics,” or, “I’m trying to build a church,” or, “That’s
not our mission,” or any number of other pious-sounding clichés. But the
reality is they are trying to be successful, and they believe
controversy hinders success.

That’s also why
you seldom, if ever, hear “hard” sermons from the modern pulpit--even
though that is exactly the kind of sermons that Jesus Himself preached.
(See John 6:60) To the success-driven, religious CEO, people must always
feel good; they must be permanently ensconced in their comfort zone; and
they must never be rebuked or informed of misconduct or
irresponsibility. And as far as freedom goes, the shallowness of the
average pulpit refuses to acknowledge the responsibility of the church
to do anything to preserve it. All they talk about is praying for your
political leaders and being good little subjects of the state.

Plus, don’t
forget that most churches are up to their eyeballs in debt. Therefore,
pastors are afraid if they offend people offerings will go down and they
might not be able to pay for all of those fancy buildings and exorbitant
staff--not to mention their own personal financial perks might be
endangered.

And, yes, I must
also add that the 501c3 non-profit tax-exempt status most churches
operate under poses a serious intimidation against the pastor and
church, which keeps them from taking a stand or speaking out on issues
that might be construed as political.

But here is the
bottom line: as long as Christians in the pews continue to attend and
financially support these stand-for-nothing churches, the churches will
continue to languish in their indifference. After all, by the attendance
and offerings of all of these people in the pews, pastors are being
continually convinced that everything they have been taught is working:
their churches are successful.

The ONLY WAY
Christians can start making a difference in their country is to GET OUT
of these clueless, cowardly churches and find a pastor who is not afraid
to be politically-incorrect, who is not afraid to preach and teach the
Biblical principles of liberty, and who is not afraid to preach and
teach the principles of righteous defiance against any act of tyranny.
Find a pastor who is not trying to be successful. You don’t need a
successful pastor; you need a truthful pastor.

But this means
that people in the pews must truly WANT to be in a church that takes a
stand, doesn’t it? We have the kind of pastors and churches that we are
willing to support. If that’s the case, Christians should stop
complaining about the indifference of their pastors and simply accept
the imminent slavery to which they are being led.